Sora and Zorua
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Sora Hoshino is a Pokemon Ranger with a special gift. He is a potential magical with a past that he never knew about. With his partner Zeke, an orphaned Zorua cub, and his friends from his world, can he make a difference in the war to come, or will his mysterious past come back to bite him? WILL BE BASED ON RANGER GAMES AT THE VERY LEAST. NO PAIRINGS AS OF YET.
1. Chapter 1

"_Ranger Applicant number 13, your turn is up,"_ said the proctor over the intercom.

"Whoohoo! Finally!" said a black haired boy with green eyes.

He was the youngest applicant to the Pokémon Ranger Academy. At age ten, most kids would be out getting their first partners and traveling the world for their gym badges.

"Applicant Sora Hoshino. Capture this Pikachu with only the practice styler," said the proctor.

"Yes sir!" said Sora with a big grin.

He took the styler and looped it around Pikachu rapidly, not allowing it to break the line.

"Pika~!"

"Capture successful," said the proctor.

His partner looked at the test scores for the written exam.

"You have the highest score of the applicants this year, and you performed perfectly. The only concern I have is about your age, but we'll keep it under advisement for now. Sora Hoshino, Pass," said the other proctor.

"Yippee!"

* * *

Sora sat in the Academy, the youngest person there. Everyone else was in their teens already.

"Hi, I'm Amy from Petalburg."

"Sora, from Viridian Forest."

"Really?"

"It's where Professor Oak found me anyway. I've always wanted to be a Ranger since I saw the bond the first one I ever met had with his partner."

"So who do you want for your partner Pokémon?" asked Amy.

"Something that can fly, possibly. I love the sky and the feeling of wind when you fly on a Pokémon," said Sora.

"I bet!" laughed Amy.

"Hi, I'm Rory and this is Micky," said the boy next to him.

"Sora!"

"Ahem! If you could all pay attention to the board," said the teacher loudly.

"Sorry!" chimed the group.

"So Sora, as the youngest of the new recruits, it is my duty to inform you of a long standing tradition here at Ranger Academy!" said Rory.

"What's that?"

"The test of courage of course!"

Rory gleefully explained about the spooky basement of the Academy, and how every year, the recruits had to go down there one by one to the room below. And as the youngest, Sora had been selected to go first...but he couldn't tell the others what was really down there.

Sora had never been afraid of the dark, in fact he preferred it, having taken up star gazing when he had the chance along with some of the wild Pokémon in the forest Oak had found him in.

(Oak had even taught him how to read and then gifted the boy with books on the stars and their myths, one of his prized possessions.)

* * *

Sora waited until nightfall, when the teachers were outside patrolling. Very few were willing to risk their potential careers for being caught out of bounds too many times.

Creeping down the stairs, Sora hit the flashlight and found himself face to face with a low-level Ghastly. Ghosts had never bothered him before, in fact he often found their pranks funny. A few quick loops of the styler and it left him alone for the most part. Seeing a light at the far end of the basement, Sora snuck up to the spot and left the rock where he had been instructed and started making his way back up to the dorms.

He was so intent on being quiet he didn't notice a second Ghastly moving a cord from an old fan to where his feet would trip over it. The resulting crash drew the attention of whoever was inside the room, and he quit disguising his presence. He released the first ghost Pokémon as soon as he reached the stairs, as he didn't want to give away who had been down there.

He didn't see the teacher look out, see the rock and shake his head.

"Remind me to tell Rory that next time they have their little 'test of courage' to warn the participants to watch out for the second Ghastly," said Professor Mark.

"Yes Professor," replied his assistant.

It was well known among the staff that the first and second years had their yearly test of courage in the dark basement...that was why the teachers 'patrolled' their classrooms or outside so the recruits could have their fun.

Better to get it out of their system early than to deal with it later when they were performing sensitive experiments.

* * *

"Well Sora, you passed but the teacher wanted me to remind you that you should have been looking out for that second Ghastly," said Rory all too cheerfully at breakfast.

"Wait, he knew?"

"Yup. The professor doesn't do any sensitive experiments until the 'test of courage' is considered over with, and the teachers don't bother to patrol that area until the second month."

"Huh."

"Still, he did commend you on being quiet. If you hadn't tripped on the fan he wouldn't have known someone had come down there with the rock."

"Ghastly picked up the cord," explained Sora.

"Still, you were better than most. Professor Mark said that half the time the recruits make enough racket for a rampaging Tauros herd."

Sora snorted in amusement at the idea, and went back to his homework for the week.

It was the bane of all Rangers, whether they had passed the final test or not, that they had to fill out reports.

Trainers never had to do such things unless it was to fill out damage claims, and even then half the time they were made to fix whatever they had broken.

* * *

"Did you hear? One of the senior Rangers at the Union is going to take the three of the top students on a field trip!" said Amy.

Sora snorted.

"I heard that he takes only certain people with him, depending on the teacher's reports," said Sora.

"So? Either way it means that the lucky few could possibly find their partner early!"

"Yes, but school rules state that Pokémon aren't allowed on school grounds unless they are the ones already here. It would have to stay outside the fence the entire time, and we aren't allowed out except with a teacher," Sora reminded the bubbly fourteen-year-old. She deflated, then cheered up.

"I'm sure the teachers could make an exception," she said.

"Actually, there is _one_ exception, and that's for baby or really young Pokémon who have attached to you as a surrogate parent. But they aren't allowed in dorms," said Rory. As a third year, he knew the most.

"But I bet there's a room where you can visit and feed it without making the other students jealous," said Sora knowingly.

"Yup. It's considered a punishment to keep it clean," said Rory.

One that was almost never used, as most of the less pleasant people who tried to become Rangers tended to get weeded out within a month or two of training. The Ranger union was one of the few that didn't have abrasive personalities in it, as they rarely let someone who treated Pokémon as things or tools to carry a capture styler. Sure, there were a few that didn't get along with people or had less than friendly personalities, but they did their jobs and treated Pokémon as friends, which was all the Rangers asked for.

"Anyway, all first years get to do a pop quiz later...the reward is a surprise," said Rory mysteriously.

Sora had an idea of what he meant. Fortunately the 'pop quiz' wasn't until noon, and that was two hours away. He grabbed his bag and went outside before class started in an hour.

As he picked a leaf off a tree, he started to play a simple tune. He found that grass whistles tended to bring wild Pokémon to you, and that the sound of the leaf was soothing enough that sometimes he didn't even need a capture styler to sooth an angry Pokémon down.

It was a way to calm his nerves and make new friends.

* * *

"Eh? You hear something?" asked one of the visiting Rangers.

"That's just Sora. Youngest ranger in the school, yet he has this way that calms down Pokémon without a styler," said Professor Mark.

"Really?"

"Kid has a way with the leaf whistle. Calms them right down."

"How old is he?"

"Ten."

The visiting Ranger stared.

"Ten? Don't kids his age usually start their journeys for gym badges?"

"He had a letter of recommendation from Oak. According to Sora, he wanted to keep his options open and didn't want any of the usual starter Pokémon, so he decided to try for Ranger school first."

"How good is he?"

"In the top of his class. You know that old test of courage down in the basement? He went down first, and I didn't even know he was there until the second Ghastly tripped him with an old fan cord."

"Not bad for a ten-year-old."

"Yeah, and the Zigzagoon love him. Kid gets along with all sorts of Pokémon."

"Hmm...might be interesting to see how he does in my 'pop quiz' later."

* * *

"Alright kiddies! This here is Ranger Daniel, and he has a special treat for you! A pop quiz!" said Professor Mark. All the students groaned good naturedly.

Professor Mark handed out a single sheet of paper, and they had a ten minute time limit to finish. Sora, who glanced at the paper, was done in five. Amy was done in seven.

"I'll have the results up tomorrow, and the top five get to go on a mission with Ranger Daniel to the Grasslands," said Mark.

Hearing the first years cheer at the idea, Daniel grinned.

Just by glancing at Sora's paper, he already knew the boy would likely get one of the coveted spots. Besides, he had to make an assessment of the kid's personality for a report to the Union. It was rare for someone as young as ten to make it this far.

* * *

"Alright kiddies. Now today's mission is to find the mystery Pokémon that's been pranking trainers into walking into solid rock. They haven't been harmed, but some of the more cocky trainers have begun to organize a party to deal with the nuisance. Our job is to figure out what's doing it, and if possible find out why. Now, because none of you have a partner just yet, you're only allowed to capture two wild Pokémon. If it breaks, you have to wait back at the vehicle."

There was a reason why the Union sponsored these rare trips outside the Academy. Occasionally they picked up a prodigy ranger who would rise through the ranks in a relatively short time, and these trips tended to weed them out for an early graduation.

It also gave the new students their first glimpse at what being a real ranger was like outside the classroom.

They paired up, investigating the area. Sora, because he was the youngest one there, was stuck with Ranger Daniel as a precaution.

He didn't mind, as Daniel answered any questions he had about partner Pokémon and more. He seemed to find Sora's interest in the subject quite amusing.

About an hour later they returned to the vehicle, some with a Pokémon or two with them that they released as soon as Daniel returned with Sora.

"Any luck?"

A chorus of 'no' came back to him and he sighed. Then he spotted something worrying.

"Hold on a minute kids."

Ranger Daniel went to speak with a rather large group of angry trainers who were there to deal with the nuisance. They heard some shouting, and eventually he came back looking rather upset.

"It seems someone had the bright idea to capture or take out the Pokémon responsible. I don't understand why, as the incidents were all rather minor pranks..."

Sora, having looked at the incident reports, spoke up.

"One of the trainers in question was from a rich family. He probably took a good deal of offense to the prank and wanted some revenge."

Everyone looked at him.

"What? I read the incident report on the boat ride over. Looking at the sea for two hours isn't that fun," he said defensively.

"You may be right. In any event we need to solve this quickly before it escalates. What areas have you all checked?"

Once they had a good portion of areas cleared, Daniel had them lead the trainers into those areas to give them some breathing room.

As long as they were away from whatever was doing this, the Pokémon might be able to escape safely.

* * *

Sora went past a bramble patch when he spotted it. A tiny Pokémon with light black and bright red coloring.

_'If I remember right, that Pokémon is a Zorua...'_

He watched as it played in the grass and tried not to gasp in shock when a Zoroark appeared and picked it up. Suddenly the incidents made more sense.

Zoroark were notorious for being able to use illusions, so making humans walk into a rock wall would be easy for them. Judging by the looks it was sending his direction, this one had bad experiences with humans and simply wanted to keep them away from the baby.

Those trainers must have come too close to the nest.

Mystery solved, Sora went to tell Daniel what really happened when the Zorua bounced out of the older Pokémon's mane and bounded up to him, having caught his scent by an ill timed wind.

Zoroark saw him, and Sora made sure to keep his movements slow and out in the open to avoid a confrontation. He gently patted the tiny fox, who barked once before returning to it's mother. He slowly backed away, and it ran off with Zorua.

"So it was a Zoroark? That explains a lot."

"Yeah, I'm guessing those trainers came too close to the nest, and Zoroark decided to warn them off by making them walk into the cliff. It looked like it had bad experiences with trainers before, which was why I was careful to keep all my movements in the open and very slow. I'm guessing it's dealt with Rangers before, and knows they aren't a threat," said Sora.

"Good work Sora. In the meantime, I have to write up a few citations for those trainers who were tearing up the forest. Go wait on the boat with the others while I have a talk with them."

Daniel came back ten minutes later looking rather cross.

"That rich one didn't get the point. We may have to relocate the Pokémon to protect them."

All five trainees winced. Relocation was considered a last resort, as it took time for Pokémon to become comfortable in new locations. The only other option in those cases was to report the location and let trainers come to put them in their team until the area could be healed by either nature or an expensive landscaping team to come in and fix the problem.

And generally it was the Ranger union that did the paying for the team to fix it.


	2. Chapter 2

A year had passed in the Academy, and Sora was one the first list of people to graduate. Apparently Daniel's report on how he handled the mischievous Pokémon (it was only listed on the official reports that only level five or above Rangers could get to protect the two) and how it was Sora who discovered the truth had given him the right push for early graduation.

Because of his age, he would still have a human partner with him at all times, even when he got his Pokémon partner.

"Eager to get a partner Pokémon Sora?"

"Somewhat. I'm kinda hoping to get one that flies," he admitted.

It was a common joke among the Rangers and the trainees that Sora always had his head in the clouds, which was why his name meant 'sky'.

Another joke was that he was always shooting for the stars, which was why his last name was registered as Hoshino.

(Hoshino Sora= Hoshi (Star) no (of) Sora (Sky). In other words Starry Sky, or the best translation I can make at the moment. Get it?)

"That reminds me...anyone know what happened to those two Pokémon?" asked Sora.

Rory winced. Sora honed in on him with concern.

"That rich punk who got tricked tried to burn down the forest. Apparently the Zoroark you encountered used to be one of his Pokémon, but it escaped and destroyed it's Pokéball. Daniel was barely able to get the baby out in time."

"Where's Zorua now?"

"In the kennel where we keep the partner Pokémon too young to survive outside the school. Apparently it's refusing to eat," said Rory.

* * *

Sora immediately went to the kennel and found the baby Zorua. The second it saw him, it barked.

Sora gently rubbed it's fur.

"Easy there little one."

"I don't believe it. That little fox has been refusing to come near humans for nearly a week! Why's it so attached to you?"

"Because it knew me from before. I was the one who found out it was Zoroark causing all those incidents, and she let me pet her baby before the attack. It associates me with good things, since it's mother wasn't afraid of me like the other humans," explained Sora.

"I'm going to talk to the professors about this," said Rory.

A few hours later Sora was given the Zorua infant as his partner, since he was the only one it would go near and would allow to feed it.

They had a psychic-type confirm Sora's thoughts on why it trusted him.

Since Zoroark hadn't chased him off, the baby thought this human was safe to be around. It didn't hurt that Sora was so young himself. According to some of the older Rangers, the Zorua's mother had realized Sora was barely grown himself, that coupled with his actions had her label him not a threat to her or her child.

* * *

Sora stepped on the podium, the baby Zorua on his shoulder like a bird Pokémon would. He would be turning eleven soon, and already he had a headache waiting for him once he left the Academy.

Apparently the rich brat who killed Zoroark had learned the infant it was protecting was still alive, and had demanded that the Union hand it over.

Having it registered as Sora's Pokémon partner had stopped most of it, but the kid wasn't relenting one bit. Due to the fact he was a new Ranger, it was unlikely Sora would be able to keep Zorua away from the creep.

Receiving his certificate (making him a full Ranger, along with a proper styler) he walked down proudly and sat next to Rory, who was also graduating.

"So which station they put you in?"

"Yet to be decided, thanks to this mess with that rich brat. The Union is still trying to get him banned from the League, but it's slow going because he has lawyers," said Sora sourly.

"Too bad. I doubt the League will be able to get Zorua away from you...he is your partner after all!"

"Yeah. I just wish that Zorua hadn't lost his mom because of a human," said Sora sadly.

* * *

Sora was in a relatively small Ranger Base (he was placed in an out of a way one to keep the brat from finding him until it was all over) when he noticed something odd.

"Is that a Noctowl with a letter in it's claws?" he asked bewildered.

Ranger captain Micheal looked outside.

"That doesn't look like any Noctowl or Hoothoot I've ever seen. Not even the Shiny breed look like that!"

When the bird landed, it gave Sora a dirty look.

"Harry Potter? Who the heck is that?"

They left the mystery for later as there had been reports of a Mew nearby. Normally they wouldn't care, but the sad fact was that whenever a rare or legendary Pokémon was spotted, trainers had the bad habit of destroying their surroundings trying to catch it.

One of the unspoken jobs of a Pokemon Ranger was to repair the damage done by trainers.

So they had to find Mew and hopefully see if they could persuade it to go elsewhere, where it would be someone else's problem.

They didn't need a legendary Pokémon on _top_ of dealing with the mess that had already been dropped on Sora.

"Mew~"

"There it is!" said Sora.

"Alright. Sora, you capture it and explain the situation," said Mike.

Mainly because he had the strangest feeling Sora had to do it.

"Capture on!"

Sora looped his styler around fifty times (not in a row, because Mew kept breaking the circle) and didn't notice that the line had started to change colors with each successful loop.

"Mew~!" cried the tiny pink cat.

It's job was done, which was to pass on a rare gift from Giratina, since Mew could roam around a lot more discreetly than the Pokémon who ruled the Distortion World could.

* * *

A few days later, more creatures who greatly resembled Noctowl and Hoothoot kept showing up. But Sora had other worries.

"Mike, my styler's acting funny. I mean the lines it makes are the wrong color!"

"Show me," he said.

Sora looped his styler around a random Zigzagoon, and the colors were prismatic, not light blue as they were supposed to be.

"Now that is strange. I better call Professor Hastings!"

Professor Hastings came four days later with news.

"It appears that Sora's styler has been given a very rare type of energy. All my analysis say that it closely resembles that of Giratina."

"Seriously?" said Sora.

"I believe Mew may have come here to give you a piece of it's power, though why I have no idea."

"Maybe because of those weird Noctowls and Hoothoots outside?" said Mike dryly.

Professor Hastings looked and saw the birds, though they clearly _weren't_ Noctowls or Hoothoots.

"Oh my! Why didn't you contact us sooner! Those poor owls must be terribly frustrated!" said Hastings.

"What are 'owls'?" asked Sora.

"It's a rather unusual phenomena in our world. Every so often creatures called 'owls' appear to deliver special letters to young children to teach them how to control an odd power called magic. The thing is, those children have to pass through Giratina's Distortion World to get to the one that lives side-by-side ours. From what I can tell, Sora is one of those lucky children who can pass through it to the other dimension."

"Can I come back to this one?" he asked.

"Of course you can! Why else would the Ranger Union know so much about it? We're the ones in charge of patrolling the breech and regulating who comes here. Believe me, we've had some trouble in the past when ordinary wizards show up trying to run the place," said Hastings.

They had to go find Palkia and Dialga to fix the portal so that only those who knew what the Distortion world really was could come through. As wizards tended to think of Pokémon as lesser creatures, Giratina usually kicked them out.

* * *

Sora whooped with joy and Zeke (Zorua) barked with laughter as they flew on the Dragonite Bus to the Union Headquarters. Because they were going with Professor Hastings, they were allowed to see it despite the fact they had never been there before.

The requirement of the Dragonite Bus was that you had to know what the place looked like for them to take you there. And telling them from a picture wasn't good enough, as many rookie trainers learned the hard way.

Finally they landed, and Sora looked somewhat disappointed that the ride had ended.

"A fan of heights? You'll probably love the other side...those wizards have found a way to fly on brooms of all things," said Hastings with amusement.

"Here now, don't tell me they actually agreed to hand over that Zorua!" said one of the rangers in disbelief.

"Certainly not! But we may have found a way to keep them both from being found until the case is over," said Hastings.

"He a Potential then?" said the older Ranger.

"Apparently. There were a great many owls hanging around the Ranger Station he was at," said Hastings.

"What did they all say?"

"Harry Potter."

"Ah. In that case we better check with the goblins and get this sorted out straight away, or else we'll have a bigger headache later," said the older Ranger knowingly. He had a grimace on his face when he heard the name.

Sora was told to wait with the other 'potentials', which was the name given to all possible wizard candidates. Ever since the rift opened thirty years ago, Rangers have kept an eye out for magical potential so they could head off the owls. It saved them a headache of dealing with calls about birds who clearly weren't Pokémon in the areas. As Rangers they wanted to limit the damage of a non-native species in the world.

"Hey! My name's Joseph, what's yours?" asked a trainer.

"Sora. And this is Zeke."

"Cool, a Zorua! How'd you catch him?"

"I'm a Ranger, not a trainer. His mom was killed by this greedy trainer and since I was the only one it would warm up to, they assigned him as my partner," said Sora. Zeke barked in agreement, nuzzling his partner. As far as Zeke was concerned, Sora was his big brother.

"Ouch. I have one like that too, an Eevee. Poor little guy was being chased by one of them evil organizations bent on controlling Pokémon, and I rescued him. I had to dodge attempts to steal him when I was picked up by a Ranger and told I had the 'potential' to be a magical. I figure a few years out of my journey isn't going to kill me, and this way Evans and I can be safe while we get stronger."

"Did you say you're a ranger candidate?" spoke up a girl nearby. She was wearing the fake-ranger uniform, for those who wanted to be one, but had yet to pass the exam.

"No, I'm an actual ranger. I got lucky and was allowed to graduate the Academy early, but because of Zeke's mom being killed by her previous owner, I was sent to an out of the way Station until the mess could be sorted out."

"How old are you?" she asked, staring. He looked about the same age as she was!

"I'm eleven," said Sora grinning.

She blinked, then shook her head.

"Where are my manners. I'm Cindy."

"Sora Hoshino. What?"

"The same Sora Hoshino who graduated at the top of his class when he just turned eleven? The one who all the older Rangers are watching to see what you do next?" she asked with stars in her eyes.

"Um...yes?" said Sora.

"How do you know all that?"

"I'm a hacker, and this is my future partner Digit," she said simply, pulling out an old Pokéball. Inside was a Porygon2.

"You can't bring a Pokémon and expect it to be your partner. And the only ones allowed in the Academy are the ones that have been there for years or those like Zeke...too young to fend for themselves."

"I thought Pokémon Rangers who have already made a bond could bring theirs with them?" she said wide eyed. Sora shook his head.

"You aren't allowed to have a bonded Pokémon in the school unless it can't fend for itself. Zeke had to stay in the kennels where they keep the Pokémon who have already bonded but can't handle their surroundings until the trainee graduates. It cuts down on the fighting," explained Sora.

"Aw...and Digit was hoping to see the school with me," she said.

"Well Porygon2 _is_ a mostly digital Pokémon, so you might be able to get away with it living in the computer they have in the rooms so long as your roommates don't give you up. But then again if you explain to the teachers they might let you get away with it. None of my roommates had a Pokémon in there so I wouldn't know."

Suddenly one of the older Rangers came in.

"Alright kiddies, now my name is Ranger Richard, and I'll be your escort. Keep in mind that this is an entirely different world than ours, so those of you with Pokéballs, please put away your Pokémon for now. Those of you who are Rangers, or Ranger candidates, keep your partners hidden, if you can. The existence of our world isn't that well known, and we would like to keep it that way to avoid problems," said Richard.

One of the potentials raised their hand.

"Yes?"

"Why can't we have our Pokémon out, and why are Rangers the ones who take us there."

"The answer to your first question is simple. Past the Distortion World, where Giratina rules, there _are no Pokémon_. Now before any of you freak out, or start missing home, there is a rift that leads right back to the Distortion World and we have sign posts with the permission of Giratina that lead you back to the Ranger Union. Secondly, it was decided by the Elite Four and the Head of the Union at the time that Rangers, who work to keep the balance of nature in our world should be the ones to take the children to and from the other side, because we have experience and our capture stylers draw less attention than say, a rampaging Charizard. Now, there are magical creatures on the other side, and part of our agreement is that you all get a copy of the book that has most of the information in it for free on your first year through. I would advise that you read the book and make a note on the danger section as to how difficult it will be to come across them. We also have a second book that some of our more...enthusiastic members have made to compare these creatures to their Pokémon equivalent. You'll have to buy it though, and they cost a thousand Pokédollars."

Hearing this was sanction by not only the Elite Four (the very people most trainers dreamed of beating in a battle), but the head of the Ranger Union meant that this was a very serious matter.

"Also, I would like to remind you that should you get a pet, which according to tradition will be either an owl (he held up a picture of a bird that resembled Noctowl and Hoothoot), a cat (here he had a picture of a Meowth) or a toad (he held up a final picture of Politoad), that you should remember that they are not native animals in this world, and you should keep track of their actions at all times, or the Rangers will be asking questions and making you do paperwork."

That got many of the children to wince, and none of them enjoyed paperwork. Sora was one of the few who didn't, as he could care less. He had joined the Ranger Academy at an age where many would start their journeys, and had gotten used to doing homework.

"Everyone have their team in their Pokéballs? Rangers, remember to keep your partners out of sight for the moment," Richard called. Several flares of red, signaling the return of the Pokémon that had been let out, and they made their way through the Rift.

Technically there were openings in the Rift near places that had reflective qualities, mostly mirrors and clear lakes. But this was the most stable one and it only opened during a certain period of time in this specific place.

Giratina, the Pokémon that controlled the openings, had a deal with the Rangers so that they could come through with the potentials each year.

How, no one really knew, but it was a mystery that many have tried to figure out.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wow!" said Sora. That seemed to be the general consensus when they left the Distortion World. Giratina had even flown by to give them all a good shock. For many it was their first look at the legendary Pokémon.

They were inside a room made of rock, and a short squat creature which Ranger Richard quickly explained was a goblin and not to be crossed, escorted them into a larger room.

Because of the fact that the Rifts were more or less unknown to the world in general, the goblins had been given exclusive rights to the only stable portal that opened each year.

This was mostly because the Pokémon League and the Ranger Union had some issues with the Ministry of Magic on this side, and the goblins were known for their neutrality. Thus, a compromise was born.

Plus it kept the secret of the Rift to a select few...even the Minister didn't know about the other world, only those in the Department of Mysteries.

"Alright kiddies, time to register here. Sora, you'll have to come with me so we can straighten something out before you register," said Richard.

"What? All those from your world must register before they can leave the bank!" barked the irritated goblin.

"Thing is, he's from this world and fell through a Rift into ours. We need to get his situation sorted out before we register him," said Richard.

"Name?"

"Potter, Harry."

"Inheritance office is that way. Confirm the bloodline first then come back here," said the goblin.

* * *

Sora was beyond confused as he let three drops of blood hit the potion-soaked quill, only to see it jump and start writing without anyone touching it.

"Confirmed, he's the missing Potter boy. Once you change your name we'll do a standard health and spell check after you register," said the goblin.

Richard had Sora sign the paperwork, before they went back to register his name. By now he was confused and very tired.

The goblin called Ripfang and his human counterpart who worked at the magical hospital went through the potentials with brisk efficiency only years of experience could provide. However that immediately stopped the second they got to Sora.

"Stop! Mr. Hoshino, would you stand here for a second?" said Ripfang, getting a reaction.

"Three tracking spells, one intelligence dampener (broken), one spell to alert if removed from a certain area, one magic binding spell, and ten owl spells designed to limit which mail is given. As well as a residual warding spell, most likely placed by a parent. We can leave the last one, but the rest have got to go," said the medi-wizard calmly.

He went about breaking them one by one, and did a last check on Sora before he frowned.

"Ripfang, I think we have a soul piece on him. Looks like it's restricted around the scar..."

"We can leave it until they come back...gives us time to properly prepare to deal with it," replied to goblin.

Sora was glad to sink into the chair provided. Today had been exhausting for the eleven-year-old.

"Tired eh? Have some berries. After this we'll just get your robes, wand and possibly a pet. The goblins have runners who tally up the names and get the number of books and other items on the list for the school."

"Can we look at the books?" asked Joseph.

"Bit of a bookworm, eh? We usually have enough time that we let the kids browse the alley, but no broomsticks. They don't let the first years have them after the number of accidents at the school."

The tired children perked up at the idea of being allowed to visit one store of their choosing once they had gotten their robes and wand.

* * *

They broke the group into three to avoid overwhelming the stores. Sora, Joseph and Cindy were all in the group that went to the wand store first.

"Come in, come in. That time of year again?" said the owner from behind. They all jumped, just a little.

"I am Ollivander. Now, young potentials, what is your occupation?"

"I'm a first level Ranger...passed the test and graduated early at the Academy," explained Sora.

"Trainer, and I have three badges already," said Joseph. He had gotten caught up in the mess to protect Evans before he could try for his fourth.

"Hacker, with plans to become a Ranger, or Technician at the Union," said Cindy.

"Now to put those odd combinations to the test," said Ollivander. He mostly asked them that question to rule out a few choices, and the three soon had a decent pile of wands on the counter. Finally the three had a selection they could live with.

For Sora, he had a 'Sycamore, thirteen inches, with tail fur of a Nine-tailed fox from Japan. Surprisingly Swishy.'

Joseph had a 'Willow, unicorn tail, eleven inches. Swishy.'

Cindy had a 'Sycamore, thirteen inches, with the tail of a rare wind-phoenix. Surprising swishy.'

They each paid for their wands with the odd coins, and were taken to the menagerie. Sora was very bored with the animals, at least until he spotted the Owl Emporium and almost immediately fell in love with a snow white owl with black flecks. He bought it and named it Yoruichi, 'First Night'.

Joseph doesn't get a pet, but rather saves his allowance for books. Cindy has a rare wyvern, a creature that resembles a dragon, but cannot shoot out flame, thus making it slightly less dangerous than it's more well known cousin. If angered or attacked, however, it could poison in it's fangs.

They could be used as an alternative to owls, and they never let anyone aside from their owner or intended recipient read the letters given. Of course that only happened if the wyvern didn't abandon it's owner from abuse. A loyal partner like them was hard to come by.

Joseph goes a little nuts in the bookstore, and walks out with ten books, three of them so thick that they easily weighed five pounds. Sora spent his extra allowance on a book for Occulmency, which made organizing the mind easier and was used to block mind readers. He also tripped on a book no one else noticed, and swiped a few copies.

When they all made their way back through the Rift, they were informed that all their school things would be on the train for them and that all they had to do was board it on time. They had to sign their names to each trunk, a standard three-room one, so that the school's house elves would know where to put them.

* * *

Sora immediately paired up with Joseph and Cindy, the three bonding as friends after meeting. It helped that Sora was the unofficial leader, since he was a full Ranger already, unlike Cindy or Joseph, who were still learning the tricks of their trade.

The three were cheerfully debating certain items from home, when the door opened and they shut up. They were told not to mention Pokémon or their world except in their Tower, which was the only place they were allowed to have their Pokémon out.

One of the conditions of joining the school was that they had a place for them to sleep and be with others from their world. Since they didn't want the whole interhouse war infecting the potentials, they were given their own tower to sleep in, but they had to eat meals with whatever house they were sorted in.

It was a compromise that the Ranger Union had made with the school governors and Headmaster Dumbledore, so that they could keep such information in-house as it were. In exchange the students could carry their Pokéballs around to class, but they couldn't bring out the Pokémon inside them.

Even if it meant losing out on the in-house experience with the other kids, it was better than the panic that would result when the normal wizards learned that there was another world completely devoid of normal magic that had somehow managed to break through to theirs. And that it had creatures that could take down the average Auror-squad with a few well chosen commands.

Dumbledore had only agreed to the use of one of the Towers because the head of the Elite Four at the time had shown him what a Hyperbeam could do...using something as unassuming as a Rattata and a Pidgey.

Seeing something that looked like a small purple rat and a tiny pidgeon creature destroy five acres of forest with a single move had been all the convincing Dumbledore needed to keep this quiet. Seeing a kindergarden class with several small Pokémon (including the same rat and bird) without any fear of them attacking the children, had been all he needed to allow them in the school.

A red-haired boy with a smattering of freckles came in asking for a place to sit.

"Sorry, but we really don't have any room," said Sora.

Well, that and on the way back from the bathroom he had noticed that there were _four_ empty compartments on the next carriage.

The boy shut the door, lamenting loudly that he was never going to befriend the boy-who-lived at this rate. Sora sweatdropped.

"What's got you so worried?"

"I've read some of those books about this boy-who-lived...they're a load of nonsense. And it seems these magicals view him as the next coming of Merlin or Lance for some reason."

"Ouch. That kind of expectation can crush a child if they aren't used to that kind of hype."

"And I think there was a reason why Ranger Richard had me go see that goblin to have my name changed to the one I've been using for years. From what I heard, there was a packed pub waiting to mob this kid the second he came back to the magical world," said Sora.

He remembered vividly that most of those owls that came to him had the name 'Harry Potter', and the what that goblin said at the inheritance office about him being the 'Potter boy'.

He really didn't want to deal with people mobbing him and expecting more than he was willing to give.

They had to deal with the door opening three more time. One again by the redhead, once by a bossy brunette looking for a toad, and the third time by a pale blond with an arrogant attitude that had Sora wanted to break his nose. He reminded him far too much of that creep who got Zeke's mother killed.

The three enjoyed the chocolate frogs and ice mice, and avoided the jelly beans after one too many 'misses', one involving blood flavor. They were already in their uniform, as none of them wanted to deal with finding their trunks in the back carraige. Yoruichi was already waiting for Sora in his dorm room (assigned as soon as it was confirmed they were coming to the school), as was Ryu-kun (Cindy's wyvern).

Finally the train stopped, and the three made their way to the boats. They immediately claimed the one that looked something like a Lapras under the water, though only those from their world would recognize it.

It was actually a test so Hagrid would know who knew about Pokémon and who didn't. It had been his secret joy when during the fifteenth year that the Rift had been opened both ways, one of the older trainers had fulfilled his not-so-secret desire for a dragon by giving the man a Dratini egg, which hatched the year after.

Little Norbert was now a Dragonair, and Hagrid was the only adult allowed anywhere near their tower and the only 'wizard' who had been past the Rift to see the Pokémon world.

If it hadn't been for his loyalty to Dumbledore, it was highly likely Hagrid would have moved there with his 'pets' and become a dragon tamer.

The man was the only person to think that a Gyarados was 'cute'! Probably why another trainer had dumped a useless Magikarp on him which now roamed the Black Lake with the squid, fully evolved of course.

* * *

McGonagall tried and failed to locate James and Lily's son instead giving a green-eyed boy with goggles a dirty look because she caught a hint of light black and red fur under his robes. It was clearly one of those odd creatures that were discovered thirty years ago, but since it was staying more or less out of sight, there was nothing she could do.

Some were allowed out of the tower by playing the part of a doll, but usually something like a teddy bear (Cubachoo, among others) or by disguising itself as an ordinary pet (Ditto). Others played the part as an unusual pet, such as Persian or Squirtle. One trainer had managed to get his Rattata out of the tower by using a simple color changing charm to hide what it was.

Then again, that boy had been a Ravenclaw.

"I would like to remind those who sleep in the unofficial 'fifth' house that your special...pets...are not allowed outside the Tower. As you will be sorted along with your peers, you will be given the password to the common rooms, but remember you have your own room to sleep in. Try not to embarrass your new classmates, as they may try to find your dorms."

"What fifth house?" demanded the pale blond.

"If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you aren't allowed to go in," said McGonagall.

The pale blond looked offended at the very notion he wasn't allowed to go somewhere.

"The sorting shall begin momentarily."

The pale blond looked around, as if looking for someone. Sora had a feeling he was looking for Potter, and shrunk behind Cindy and Joseph a bit.

McGonagall returned, and lead them into the hall.

* * *

Sora paid little mind to the bossy brunette, though he did make a note to investigate the spell that made up that ceiling, as he suspected the Ranger Union would love to add it to theirs.

More than one Ranger enjoyed sleeping outdoors instead of some posh hotel.

One by one, the children walked up to the hat to be sorted.

"Green, Joseph!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Hoshino, Sora!"

Sora gulped, held Zeke a little closer (he snuggled more to his 'big brother') and went under the hat.

A few minutes in, and the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!"

He sat at the blue and bronze table, ignoring the prefect's hiss to remove his goggles.

No way was he doing that. Not with the scar on his forehead so well known. Maybe when he had that soul shard or whatever removed and it healed up he would start taking his goggles off.

He started sneaking food to Zeke from the table, and luckily he was able to deflect any questions about the fact he kept slipping food below the table by simply mentioning he was apart of the mysterious 'fifth' house of Hogwarts.

Apparently the Ravens were more interested in his 'house' than in the fact he had a few quirks.

Sora was so tired from the day that when the school song ended, he had to be tapped on the shoulder by a trainer (he recognized the Pokéball on the boy's neck...clever way to hide it in plain sight) and followed the fifth group back to the tower.

He wasn't so tired that he missed Percy growling at Joseph because he didn't think to share that he was part of the fifth group. He would have to think of an appropriate response for Percy's attitude problem.

Sora yawned as he found his room, and said "Goodnight Zeke."

Zeke barked, and the two cuddled under the covers.


End file.
